Six world powers, including China, agreed yesterday to start drawing up new sanctions on Iran to block its nuclear program, diplomatic sources said.

The source said senior foreign ministry officials from Britain, the United States, France, Russia and Germany had reached agreement with Beijing during a conference call.

“It has been agreed with China to start drawing up sanctions on Iran,” one envoy said. “Drawing up of a Security Council resolution is to begin in the next few days.”

The Western powers in the group hope to organize a meeting of the six at the ambassadorial level in New York in the coming days to get the process of drafting a sanctions resolution going, several diplomats said.

Diplomats said China has been slowly and reluctantly falling in line with the other powers against Tehran, but wants any new steps to be weak.

The Western powers in the group hope to organize a meeting of the six at the ambassadorial level in New York in the coming days to get the process of drafting a sanctions resolution going, several diplomats said.

They say the four Western powers would like a resolution to be adopted next month, before a month-long UN conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May, but acknowledge that negotiations will probably drag on at least until June.

World leaders accuse Iran of developing a nuclear arsenal. The Islamic dictatorship claims its nuclear program is intended only to generate electricity, even as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly threatened Israel.

“This is a big victory for the United States and the Europeans,” said the source. “China has taken great strides.”